STATE NORMAL SCHOOLS IN MASSACHUSETTS.

The following brief account of the history and organization of the State Normal Schools, in Massachusetts, is copied from the "Tenth Annual Report of the Secretary of the Board of Educa tion."

"In a communication made by the Secretary of the Board of Education to the Legislature, dated March 12, 1833, it was stated that private munificence had placed at his disposal the sum of ten thousand dollars, to be expended, under the direction of the Board of Education, for qualifying teachers for our Common Schools, on condition that the Legislature would place in the hands of the Board an equal sum, to be expended for the same purpose.

On the 19th of April, of the same year, resolves were passed, accepting the proposition, and authorizing the Governor, with the advice and consent of the Council, to draw his warrant upon the treasurer for the sum of ten thousand dollars, to be placed at the disposal of the Board for the purpose specified in the original communication."

The following is a copy of the Resolve and of the Report of the Committee on the subject:

"The Joint Committee, to whom was referred the communication of the Hon. Horace Mann, Secretary of the Board of Education, relative to a fund for the promotion of the cause of popular education in this Commonwealth, and also the memorial of the Nantucket County Association for the promotion of education, and the improvement of schools, and also the petition and memorial of the inhabitants of the town of Nantucket, on the same subject, having duly considered the matter therein embraced, respectfully report,

That the highest interest in Massachusetts is, and will always continue to be, the just and equal instruction of all her citizens, so far as the circumstances of each individual will permit to be imparted; that her chief glory, for two hundred years, has been the extent to which this instruction was diffused, the result of the provident legislation, to promote the common cause, and secure the perpetuity of the common interest; that for many years a well-grounded apprehension has been entertained, of the neglect of our common town schools by large portions of our community, and of the comparative degradation to which these institutions might fall from such neglect; that the friends of universal education have long looked to the Legislature for the establishment of one or more seminaries devoted to the purpose of supplying qualified teachers, for the town and district schools, by whose action alone other judicious provi sions of the law could be carried into full effect; that at various times, the deliberation of both branches of the General Court has been bestowed upon this, among other subjects, most intimately relating to the benefit of the rising generation and of all generations to come, particularly when the provision for instruction of school teachers was specially urged on their consideration, in 1827, by the message of the Governor, and a report thereupon, accompanied by a bill, was submitted by the chairman, now a member of the Congress of the United States, following out to their fair conclusions, the suggestion of the Executive, and the forcible essays of a distinguished advocate of this institution at great length, published and widely promulgated; that although much has been done within two or three years, for the encouragement of our town schools by positive enactment, and more by the liberal spirit, newly awakened in our sev eral communities, yet the number of competent teachers is found, by universal experience, so far inadequate to supply the demand for them, as to be the principal obstacle to improvement, and the greatest deficiency of our republic; that we can hardly expect, as in the memorials from Nantucket is suggested, to remove this deficiency even in a partial degree, much less to realize the comple tion of the felicitous system of our free schools, without adopting means for

more uniform modes of tuition and government in them, without better observing the rules of prudence in the selection of our common books, the unlimited diversity of which is complained of throughout the State, and that these benefits may reasonably be expected to follow from no other course than a welldevised scheme in full operation, for the education of teachers; that the announcement, in the communication recently received from the Secretary of the Board of Education, of that private munificence, which offers $10,000 to this Commonwealth, for removal of this general want, at least in the adoption of initiatory measures of remedy, is received by us with peculiar pleasure, and, in order that the General Court may consummate this good, by carrying forward the benevolent object of the unknown benefactor, the committee conclude, with recommending the passage of the subjoined resolutions.

All which is respectfully submitted,

RESOLVES

JAMES SAVAGE, per order.

RELATIVE TO QUALIFYING TEACHERS FOR COMMON SCHOOLS.

Whereas, by letter from the Honorable Horace Mann, Secretary of the Board of Education, addressed, on the 12th March current, to the President of the Senate, and the Speaker of the House of Representatives, it appears, that private munificence has placed at his disposal the sum of ten thousand dollars, to promote the cause of popular education in Massachusetts, on condition that the Commonwealth will contribute from unappropriated funds, the same amount in aid of the same cause, the two sums to be drawn upon equally from time to time, as needed, and to be disbursed under the direction of the Board of Education in qualifying teachers for our Common Schools; therefore,

Resolved, That his Excellency, the Governor, be, and he is hereby authorized and requested, by and with the advice and consent of the Council, to draw his warrant upon the Treasurer of the Commonwealth in favor of the Board of Education, for the sum of $10,000, in such installments and at such times, as said Board may request: provided, said Board, in their request, shall certify, that the Secretary of said Board has placed at their disposal an amount equal to that for which such application may by them be made; both sums to be expended, under the direction of said Board, in qualifying teachers for the Common Schools in Massachusetts.

Resolved, That the Board of Education shall render an annual account of the manner in which said moneys have been by them expended."

"The Board, after mature deliberation, decided to establish three Normal Schools; one for the north-eastern, one for the south-eastern, and one for the western part of the State. Accordingly, one was opened at Lexington, in the county of Middlesex, on the 3d day of July, 1839. This school, having outgrown its accommodations at Lexington, was removed to West Newton, in the same county, in Sept., 1844, where it now occupies a commodious building.

The second Normal School was opened at Barre, in the county of Worcester, on the 4th day of September, 1839. This school has since been removed to Westfield, in the county of Hampden, both on account of the insufficiency of the accommodations at Barre, and because the latter place is situated east of the centre of population of the western

counties.

The third school was opened at Bridgewater, on the 9th day of Sept., 1840, and is permanently located at that place.

For the two last-named schools, there had been, from the beginning, very inadequate school-room accommodations. In the winter of 1845, a memorial, on behalf of certain friends of education in the city of Boston and its vicinity, was presented to the Legislature, offering the sum of five thousand dollars, to be obtained by private subscriptions, on condition that the Legislature would give an equal sum, for the purpose of erecting two Normal School-houses; one for the school at Westfield and one for that at Bridgewater. By resolves of March 20, 1845, the proposition of

the memorialists was accepted and the grant made; and by the same resolves it was ordered, 'that the schools heretofore known as Normal Schools, shall be hereafter designated as State Normal Schools.'

The school at West Newton is appropriated exclusively to females; those at Bridgewater and Westfield admit both sexes.

Among the standing regulations adopted by the Board, for the government of the State Normal Schools, are the following-most of which were adopted in the beginning, and have been constantly in force; only a few modifications, and those very slight ones, having since been introduced:

ADMISSION. As a prerequisite to admission, candidates must declare it to be their intention to qualify themselves to become school teachers. If they belong to the State, or have an intention and a reasonable expectation of keeping school in the State, tuition is gratuitous. Otherwise, a tuition-fee is charged, which is intended to be about the same as is usually charged at good academies in the same neighborhood. If pupils, after having completed a course of study at the State Normal Schools, immediately engage in school keeping, but leave the State, or enter a private school or an academy, they are considered as having waived the privilege growing out of their declared intention to keep a Common School in Massachusetts, and are held bound in honor to pay a tuition-fee for their instruction.

If males, pupils must have attained the age of seventeen years complete, and of sixteen, if females; and they must be free from any disease or infirmity, which would unfit them for the office of school teachers.

They must undergo an examination, and prove themselves to be well versed in orthography, reading, writing, English grammar, geography

and arithmetic.

They must furnish satisfactory evidence of good intellectual capacity and of high moral character and principles.

Examinations for admission take place at the commencement of each term, of which there are three in a year.

TERM OF STUDY. At West Newton and Bridgewater, the minimum of the term of study is one year, and this must be in consecutive terms of the schools. In regard to the school at Westfield, owing to the unwillingness of the pupils in that section of the State to remain at the school, even for so short a time as one year, the rule requiring a year's residence has been from time to time suspended. It is found to be universally true, that those applicants whose qualifications are best, are desirous to remain at the school the longest.

COURSE OF STUDY. The studies first to be attended to in the State Normal Schools, are those which the law requires to be taught in the district schools, namely, orthography, reading, writing, English grammar, geography and arithmetic. When these are mastered, those of a higher order will be progressively taken.

For those who wish to remain at the school more than one year, and for all belonging to the school, so far as their previous attainments will permit, the following course is arranged:

1. Orthography, reading, grammar, composition, rhetoric and logic. 2. Writing and drawing.

3. Arithmetic, mental and written, algebra, geometry, book-keeping, navigation, surveying.

4. Geography, ancient and modern, with chronology, statistics and general history.

5. Human Physiology, and hygiene or the Laws of Health. 6. Mental Philosophy.

7 Music.

8. Constitution and History of Massachusetts and of the United States. 9. Natural Philosophy and Astronomy.

10. Natural History.

11. The principles of piety and morality, common to all sects of Christians.

12. THE SCIENCE AND ART OF TEACHING WITH REFERENCE TO AL THE ABOVE NAMED STUDIES.

RELIGIOUS EXERCISES. A portion of the Scriptures shall be read daily, in every State Normal School.

VISITERS. Each Normal School is under the immediate inspection of a Board of Visiters, who are in all cases to be members of the Board of Education, except that the Secretary of the Board may be appointed as one of the visiters of cach school.

The Board appoints one Principal Instructor for each school, who is responsible for its government and instruction, subject to the rules of the Board, and the supervision of the Visiters. The Visiters of the respective schools appoint the assistant instructors thereof.

To each Normal School, an Experimental or Model School is attached. This School is under the control of the Principal of the Normal School. The pupils of the Normal School assist in teaching it. Here, the know. ledge which they acquire in the science of teaching, is practically applied. The art is made to grow out of the science, instead of being empirical. The Principal of the Normal School inspects the Model School more or less, daily. He observes the manner in which his own pupils exemplify, in practice, the principles he has taught them. Sometimes, all the pupils of the Normal School, together with the Principal, visit the Model School in a body, to observe the manner in which the teachers of the latter, for the time being, conduct the recitations or exercises. Then, returning to their own school-room, in company with the assistant teachers themselves, who have been the objects of inspection, each one is called upon to deliver his views, whether commendatory or otherwise, respecting the manner in which the work has been performed. At this amicable exposition of merits and defects, the Principal of the Normal School presides. After all others have presented their views, he delivers his own; and thus his pupils, at the threshold of their practice, have an opportunity to acquire confidence in a good cause, of which they might otherwise entertain doubts, and to rectify errors which otherwise would fossilize into habit.

The salaries of the teachers of the State Normal Schools are paid by the State."

The following Rules were adopted for the regulation of the Normal Schools, at a meeting of the Board of Education, held in December, 1849.

1. No new applicants for admission to the Normal Schools shall be received, except at the commencement of the term.

2. It shall be the duty of the Secretary of the Board and of one of the visitors to be present on the first day of the term, for the examination of the candidates for admission.

3. There shall be two periods for the admission of new members, the time to be fixed by the visitors of each school.

4. Candidates for admission at the West Newton Normal School must promise to remain four consecutive terms; and at the other Normal Schools, three consecutive terms. An exception may be made in the case of persons of more than ordinary experience and attainments.

5. It shall be the duty of the principals of the several Normal Schools to make a report, at the end of each term, to the visitors, and if, in their judgment, any do not promise to be useful as teachers, they shall be dismissed.

6. The course of study in each of the Normal Schools shall begin with a re

view of the studies pursued in the common schools, viz: reading, writing, orthography, English grammar, mental and written arithmetic, geography, and physiology.

7. The attention of pupils, in the Normal Schools, shall be directed, 1. To a thorough review of elementary studies; 2. To those branches of knowledge which may be considered as an expansion of the above-named elementary studies, or collateral to them; 3. To the art of teaching and its modes.

8. The advanced studies shall be equally proportioned, according to the following distribution, into three departments, viz.: 1. The mathematical, including algebra through quadratic equations; geometry, to an amount equal to three books in Euclid; book-keeping; and surveying. 2. The philosophical, including natural philosophy, astronomy, moral and intellectual philosophy, natural history, particularly that of our own country, and so much of chemistry as relates to the atmosphere, the waters, and the growth of plants and animals. 3. The literary, including the critical study of the English language, both in its structure and history, with an outline of the history of English literature; the history of the United States, with such a survey of general history as may be a suitable preparation for it; and historical geography, ancient and medieval, so far as is necessary to understand general history, from the earliest times to the period

of the French Revolution.

9. "The art of teaching and its modes" shall include instruction on the philosophy of teaching and discipline, as drawn from the nature and condition of the juvenile mind; the history of the progress of the art, and the application of it to our system of education; and as much exercise in teaching under constant supervision, toward the close of the course, as the circumstances and interests of the model schools will allow.

10. Members of the Normal Schools may, with the consent of the respective boards of visitors, remain as much longer than the period required, as they may desire.

NOTE. 1866.

The Normal School first located at Lexington in 1839, and removed to West Newton in 1844, was in 1853 removed to Framingham. A fourth State Normal School was established in Salem in 1853—and like that at Framingham is devoted exclusively to the education and professional training of young women as teachers, while those at Westfield and Bridgewater admit young persons of both

sexes.

The State appropriates a thousand dollars a year to each school, or four thou sand dollars in all, for the aid of pupils whose means are inadequate, and to equalize the expense of attendance.

In the year 1864, the State appropriated $20,000 to the annual expenses of the four State Normal Schools, besides $2,490.85 towards the repair and en. largement of buildings.

In addition to the sum appropriated by the State, the Board of Education apply the income of the "Todd Fund," (the avails of a bequest by Henry Todd of Boston in 1849, amounting to $12,000,) to the payment of teachers of music, and of lecturers in natural science.

A particular account of each of these State Normal Schools will be given. In addition to the State Normal Schools, the city of Boston established in 1852 a Normal School for female teachers, which is now maintained as the Girls' High and Normal School; and in 1864, a Special Department in the same, for training teachers for the Primary Schools.